We're All In This Together
by lucky-starz06
Summary: After the championship game, Ryan and Sharpay changed. Everyone in the group are now the best of friends. But is the friendship strong enough to help Sharpay continue acting and singing when she's on the verge of quitting theater forever?
1. The First Kiss

_I'm probably really dumb for doing this you guys because I already have two other fanfics in progress. However, I can't help it! I am literally OBSESSED with this movie and want to write a fanfic. I have a couple of ideas, but I'm not exactly sure where it's gonna go, so please forgive me for that. Here's chapter one!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own High School Musical, though that would be so cool! It would also be nice to own Zac and Lucas. Hehe, they are such cuties!_

"Finally", Troy Bolton said as he and Gabriella Montez sat down on the bench in his secret hiding spot. It was after the championship game, and both decided they needed to get away from the party for a little while.

"Yeah, it was pretty crazy in there, huh?", she responded.

"I'd consider that an understatement. I'm glad to be away from the chaos. And to get the chance to be alone with you." he answered.

Gabby blushed slightly. "You... wanted to be alone with me?" she repeated.

"More than you know."

"Why?" she inquired.

"So I could finally get the chance to do what I've been wanting to for several weeks now." he replied.

"And... that would be?" she wondered aloud, still not catching on.

"This.", Troy began, leaning in closer to her.

Gabriella knew what was coming. Her heart began beating faster. She wanted the kiss as badly as he did, but it just hadn't seemed to work out yet. Maybe the time was finally here.

Their faces were inches apart when...

"Hey, guys we just really wanted to tell you..." a voice began, calling from up the stairs.

Troy groaned and Gabby sighed as they looked up. It was Sharpay and Ryan.

"Yeeees?" Troy asked in a tone that was less than happy. This certainly wasn't the first interruption the two had experienced that evening.

"Well, we were going to tell you from the bottom of our hearts what a great job you did at the callbacks today", Sharpay continued. "But we see you're up to something much more important."

The twins looked at each other knowingly, then back to Gabriella and Troy.

"We can talk later. Toodles!"

Sharpay began walking off, but she noticed Ryan wasn't following.

"Ryan come on!", she mumbled under her breath. "These two need to be alone."

"But I wanna see them kiss!", he whined.

She gave him a stern look. "Come on," she replicated.

"Hmmph!", he cried, stamping his foot. The two headed back down the stairs.

Once they were gone, Gabby and Troy looked at each other and laughed.

"I guess your hiding place isn't much of a hiding place anymore." Gabriella told him.

"Yeah, I guess not. They probably asked Chad where we might be and he told them or something." he reasoned.

Gabby sighed again.

Troy just smiled. "Care to try again?" he asked softly.

She nodded.

He tucked a stray hair behind her ear and leaned in. She just closed her eyes, enjoying the moment as he wrapped his arms around her. When they broke apart, they just gazed into each others eyes.

"So... do you feel the start of something new yet?" Troy asked.

Gabriella giggled and answered, "I felt it the first time we sang together."

The two sat back and gazed at the stars for quite a while that evening, enjoying each others company.

_End of chapter one. And though it may seem like a one-shot it's not! There will be more. Hope you liked it. I will try and update as soon as possible. Reviews are greatly appreciated!_


	2. Ain't No Party Like A Wildcat Party

_I REALLY, REALLY appreciate all who reviewed. I didn't expect to get so many the very first chapter! Obviously, a lot of people like High School Musical. Anyway, enough rambling. Time for chapter 2._

Both Troy and Gabriella being happy enough to get some time alone, they decided to head back into the gym. Tons of people were still there, and the party showed no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

"Look, there are Ryan and Sharpay." Gabriella told Troy, pointing across the gym. "We should go talk to them, since they were looking for us earlier."

Troy shrugged. "Why not?" The two began heading across the gym.

"Hey!", Ryan smiled in greeting after they had approached them.

"Hi." Gabby and Troy responded in unison.

"As we were saying before, you two did a great job at the callbacks. You deserve to be the stars of the musical. Honestly."

Troy seemed speechless. "Um, thanks..." he finally managed. "Coming from you two, that means alot."

"I didn't know you had such a great voice, Troy." Sharpay told him.

"Neither did I." he replied.

"And you did a great job, too Gabriella." Sharpay continued, looking at her. "You are definitely ready for this musical. And this is really hard to do, but..."

"We owe you guys an apology." Ryan took over. "It was wrong of us to try and ruin things for you. Everyone deserves a chance to be in the play. It's just we've been in the spotlight for so long, we didn't want anyone else to get the chance. It's what we're used to."

"Yeah..", Sharpay grinned, looking at Ryan. "What he said."

"Weeeell...", Gabriella began skeptically. "It WAS really sneaky. And it might be hard for us to trust you again for a while..."

The twins frowned.

"But..." , Troy finished. "We accept your apology."

Gabriella nodded in agreement.

Ryan and Sharpay smiled again.

"Thanks, guys. We'll be there to see you perform, no doubt about it."

Sharpay rolled her eyes. "Uh, DUH Ryan! We have to be. We're still in the play! We just didn't get the lead spots, remember?"

Ryan's eyes widened, then he blinked in surprise. "We... we got parts?"

She scoffed, amazed at how forgetful and blonde her brother could be at times. "Yes", she answered, trying to get through to him. "Mrs. Darbus told us right before the game started."

Ryan's lips formed into a pout, trying to remember. Suddenly, it seemed to come to him. "Oh, yeah!" he exclaimed, slapping himself lightly on the forehead. "How could I forget?'

"Forget what?", Taylor asked as she and Chad joined the group.

Sharpay sighed. "My dork of a brother here forgot we had a part in the musical."

"Right... seems like something he'd do to me." Taylor responded, no surprise in her tone.

"I'm not shocked, either." Chad joined in.

"HEY!" Ryan cried, taken aback. "So I have a problem remembering things. Sue me."

"You forgot our birthday last year, for crying out loud!", Sharpay shouted.

"I did?", he asked once more. "Right... when is it again?"

Everyone in the group shook their head, giving up.

"It's okay", Sharpay whispered. She embraced him in a hug. "I still love you."

Ryan grinned and hugged her back.

"Aww, how cute!", a voice came from behind. Kelsi and Jason had now joined the group.

"How's it going, guys?" Jason asked, giving Troy and Chad a high five.

"I'd say it's pretty good." Troy answered. "We won the championship, I have a new girlfriend," he squeezed Gabby's hand. "And I've also made some new friends."

Chad bobbed his head. "I agree. We won so much more than the championship."

"Yeah. Everyone's really proud of you, Troy. You've proven that there's more to everyone than what they appear to be. You helped people see that if they have a dream, they should go for it." Kelsi explained.

"Well, that wasn't originally the plan. But, hey, if I made this school a better place without even knowing it, then yay for me!" was his reply.

Chad cleared his throat and held out a pretend microphone. "So, Mr. Bolton... now that you've won the East High Wildcats the championship, and convinced everyone to chase their dreams, what do you plan on doing next?"

Troy gasped and formed the biggest smile he could muster. "I'm going to Disneyland!"

Everyone laughed.

"You are such a goofball." Gabby said, hugging him.

"You BOTH are", Taylor agreed, jabbing Chad lightly in the stomach.

"No, I think it's guys in general." Kelsi stated.

Jason, Troy, Chad, and Ryan let their jaws drop in mock horror.

"At least we don't spend 2 hours trying to get ready to go somewhere when we have plans."

"For your information...", Sharpay put in "we happen to CARE what we look like."

"And we don't?", Chad inquired.

"No, I'm not saying that. I'm just saying we put more effort into it."

"Plus", Gabriella put in "if we didn't you wouldn't get this."

She stood in the middle of the tiny circle and spun around, her red dress flaring out slightly.

Troy's eyes sparkled. "She makes a point."

The guys just rolled their eyes.

"I saw that!" Taylor said, placing her hands on her hips and glaring at Chad. "And you cannot tell me that I don't look good this evening! Okay, three words: fab-u-lous!" She snapped in front of his face with each so- called word.

Chad examined her in her white blouse and matching skirt.

"Okay, she makes a point!", he surrendered.

Kesi grinned victoriously. "I rest my case."

The group continued talking for quite sometime... and about everything! School, music, TV shows, movies... and they ended up learning alot about each other. It amazed them how all of a sudden, when a few of them hadn't known each other well at all, it now seemed as if they'd known each other forever. Though with different interests and opinions, they discovered that they had more in common than they could've ever realized.

Eventually, things died down and it was time to go.

Sharpay, however, still had one piece of unfinished business.

Ryan had excused himself to go to the bathroom quickly. Before this, he had handed the bag of cookies Zeke had given Sharpay earlier in the evening to his sister.

_They look so great..._ she thought.

_No, you can't! _the other half of her argued.

_You know you want to..._

_You shouldn't!_

_You won't regret it..._

_They're fattening!_

_Do it, I say!_

"Oh I can't take it anymore!", she screamed and opened the bag.

She tried one tiny bite of cookie. It melted in her mouth. She closed her eyes, savoring the taste.

_Wait a second..._ she thought, it dawning on her. _Zeke's still in the gym! He's waiting for someone to come pick him up._

She thrust open the gym door. Sure enough, there was Zeke.

"These cookies are genius!", her voice echoed from across the gym. "The best I've ever tasted!" With this, she tossed the cookie she was currently eating behind her. "Will you make some more for me, Zeke?"

She started running towards him, ignoring the pile of balloons that were still in the middle of the floor. She threw her arms around him, and he grinned broadly.

"I might even make you crème brulée!", he answered.

Ryan then entered the gym.

"There you are.", he said. "I've been looking for you. It's time to go."

Sharpay sighed.

"See you later, Zeke. Thanks for the desert!", she called, waving good-bye.

Zeke waved good-bye as well.

Ryan didn't know what had happened, but that was nothing unusual. All he knew was that his sister and he had made some great new friends. And he didn't regret one moment of it.

The two headed home with smiles plastered on their faces.

_End of chapter 2! Hope that was long enough for you guys. And, yes, the cookie part was in the movie. I just thought it would be cute to add an idea of where it happens. Will there be more between Sharpay and Zeke? Well, you'll just have to read and find out! I personally think this is a great chapter. Fun to write... anyway read and review, please!_


	3. Truth Or Dare

_Sorry it took me so long to update, guys! I just really wanted to update this one other fic I'm writing first, and I wasn't inspired. But I updated it as short as the chapter may be, and so now here I am with another update. Enjoy chapter 3, guys! And my appreciation to all who reviewed the last one..._

It was finally the weekend, and both Troy and Gabriella couldn't have been happier. They were outside, swinging on Troy's porch. The air was filled with a comfortable silence. That is, until Gabriella's cell phone rang.

Flipping it open, she hit the green answer button. "Hello?"

"What's up?", a perky voice asked from the other end. It was obvious that the voice belonged to Sharpay.

"Um, nothing really."

"Same here! Are you with Troy?"

"Yes..." she began slowly. "Why?"

"Good! Ryan and I wanted to invite you to our place. We're going to see if everyone else can come, too. Think you can make it?"

"Hold on and I'll see."

She covered the mouthpiece and looked at Troy. "Sharpay and Ryan want to know if we want to go over to their place and hang out for a little while. Do you think your parents will let you?"

He shrugged. "I can ask. Do you think your mom will let you?"

Gabby shrugged as well. "Don't know. But the answer's only a phone call away. You can go ask your parents and I'll call my mom."

Troy nodded and rushed inside.

"Shar, your number is saved on my cell phone because you called. Let me call my mom, and I'll get back to you."

" 'Kay." Sharpay said, and they both hung up the phones.

Gabby made the phone call and got permission to go.

"My parents said it's fine!", Troy called as he ran out the door.

"My mom, too."

Gabriella called Sharpay back and told her they could come.

"Great!" Sharpay gave them directions to the house, and they hung up once again.

Minutes later, Gabriella and Troy were on their way to the Evans' house.

"Have fun! I'll be back to get you in a few hours." Troy's mom said when they arrived.

"Alright. See you then, mom." Troy told her, getting out of the vehicle.

"Thanks for the ride, Mrs. Bolton." Gabby told her.

She smiled. "It's no problem at all, Gabriella. See you two soon."

She drove off, and the couple marched up the sidewalk. Before they even had a chance to ring the doorbell, the door swung open. They jumped back in alarm. Ryan was standing in the doorway.

"Woah, we're you guys, like, waiting on us?" Troy asked him.

Ryan nodded. "Pretty much. Kelsi and Jason are here, too. We're just waiting on Chad and Taylor."

Troy and Gabby walked into the house. Gabriella's jaw dropped in awe.

"Wow, this place is nice!"

"Thanks", Ryan responded politely. "But I'm sure your house in nice, too. All of them around here are."

"Yes, it's nice. But nothing like this!"

"She's right, man." Troy agreed. "This is one sweet crib!"

"Thanks.", he repeated. "Come on, Sharpay's upstairs."

He led them up the stairway to a huge room. Inside of it was a big screen TV, beanbag chairs, video games, and just about everything else you could think of. Even a soda machine in the corner!

"Welcome to the sweet life!", Kelsi greeted them, holding a Coke can in the air.

"I should say so..." Gabby trailed off.

"What is this place?", Troy asked in amazement.

"Our own little hangout." Ryan answered. "Pretty cool, huh?"

"Cool is an understatement." Jason said, with a roll of his eyes.

"Yeah, it was pretty lonely here before. Shar and I didn't really have anyone else to share it with. All this space and everything for nothing, basically. But now that we've made new friends, this place should become of pretty good use!"

Suddenly, the doorbell rang from downstairs.

"That must be Taylor and Chad. Ryan, you got it last time. It's my turn now. Just make yourself at ease."

He saluted her. "Will do, sis!"

Sharpay returned as promised with Chad and Taylor by her side.

"Can you say Richie Rich!", Chad exclaimed as he and Taylor both looked around in astonishment.

"This is amazing." Taylor breathed.

"Okay, okay. Enough admiring the house." Sharpay told them. "We invited you to hang out and have fun! So that's what we're gonna do."

"That reminds me..." Gabby began. "How did you get my cell phone number?"

"We called your mom and she gave it to us." Sharpay clarified.

Gabby nodded in understanding, then suddenly stopped bobbing her head. "Wait, how did you get my home phone number?"

"Simple... phone book." Sharpay said.

"It was my idea!", Ryan beamed proudly.

Gabriella chuckled softly. "Good going, Ryan!"

"I, for one, think we will all have a great time hanging out here!", Chad predicted.

"I second that notion." Troy stated, as he and Chad connected their soda cans in a "cheers" gesture.

"So, what should we do first?" Taylor inquired.

"Let's play truth or dare!" Kelsi suggested.

The guys groaned.

"Fine, we won't do that..."

"Don't back down, Kels." Sharpay told her with a sly grin. "I think it's a great idea!"

"Me, too!" Taylor answered.

"I'm in!" Gabriella exclaimed.

"Oh, no!" Jason uttered. "I'm not about to play some girl game that causes complete and total humiliation."

"Please?", Kelsi begged, forming her lips into a puppy dog pout.

He grumbled. "Why? Why do you always do this to me?"

"Because I love you." she answered sweetly.

He sighed. "Fine..." he surrendered.

"Yay!", she squeaked.

Everyone got in a circle.

"And Kelsi, since you thought of it, you go first."

"Alright. Um... Ryan, truth or dare?"

"Truth. No wait... dare. No, no. Truth, definitely truth."

"Alright... is it true you have a crush on Ashton Kutcher?"

Ryan's mouth dropped open in shock. "That is so not true! Where did you hear that?"

"Zeke told me... he said he overheard how excited you were while you were looking at the callback poster the other day."

"Ah... I see! I am going to have to have a talk with him. No, I do not think Ashton Kutcher is hot. I just happen to be a fan of Punk'd and thought it might be cool to meet him. I'm straight, thank you very much!"

Kelsi shrugged. "Okay, it was just a question. Your turn!"

"Taylor, truth or dare?"

"Um... dare." she reasoned.

"I dare you to kiss Chad right here in front of all of us!"

She blushed slightly and covered her face with her hands, trying to get over the embarrassment. Chad uncovered her face, leaned in, and kissed her lips softly. Taylor smiled.

"Hey, that's not fair! SHE was supposed to kiss YOU." Ryan said.

"We kissed, therefore it counts." Chad told him.

"Okay, okay." Ryan gave in. "Taylor, your turn."

"Sharpay, truth or dare?"

"Truth." she answered.

"Do you have a crush on Zeke?"

A smirk formed at her lips. "In all honesty, I'm not sure. He's really sweet... let's just say he doesn't annoy me as much as I say he does."

"It's a yes." Gabriella, Taylor, and Kelsi said in unison.

"Kinda sorta...", Sharpay reasoned.

"Fair enough. Your turn now."

The game continued for quite a while. A couple of secrets were revealed, but everyone seemed to already know the answers to most of the truth questions that were asked. As for the dares, well they were nothing out of the ordinary.

The fun didn't stop after the game, though. After that, they had a karaoke contest. Then a dance-off.

But all good things must come to an end. Troy's mother came to pick up he and Gabriella. Then after a while, it was time for her to go home, too.

"Bye", he whispered, pulling her in an embrace and kissing her gently.

"Bye", she said, hugging and kissing him, too. "I'll see you tomorrow."

He bobbed his head in response. After she left, he realized how tired he was. He got ready for bed that evening, with the thoughts of the day reeling in his mind.


	4. Gabriella's Great Idea

_Sorry I haven't had the chance to update! I just haven't really felt like writing. But I know I need to update, so here's the next chapter for ya._

With both Sunday and the weekend being gone, students treaded the halls of East High once again on Monday.

They groaned at the work along with the boring state of their first few classes. Finally, lunch rolled around.

"I'll be so glad when this day is over!", Taylor whined, placing her lunch tray on the table with a loud _SMACK!_

"Me, too", Troy agreed with a yawn.

Moments later, Sharpay and Ryan showed up. The whole gang was now at the table.

For a while they complained about school. Suddenly, a thought came to Gabriella and she gasped.

"What? What is it?", Troy asked in concern.

"Well, changing the subject to a brighter side, something just occured to me."

"And that would be...?", Chad trailed off.

"I saw a poster in the hallway for a talent show that's coming up!"

"Cool.", Kelsi grinned, nodding. "You should all enter. "

"We could dance!" Taylor beamed, looking at Chad.

"Singing's what we do best." Sharpay stated matter-of-factly to Ryan.

"And we could sing, too!" Troy exlaimed, taking Gabby's hand.

"I don't feel like competing, but I could play the compositions for you!" Kelsi chimed in.

"Great idea. So it's decided? We're entering?" Gabriella asked.

Everyone agreed.

"So what should we sing?" inquired Troy.

"Um...", Gabby thought. "How about "Start of Something New? I mean it **is **our song."

"Sure.", Troy answered.

"We could do "Bop To The Top again, Ryan. I mean no one saw it the last time." Sharpay told him. He nodded in approval.

"This is so exciting!", Taylor screeched. "I can't wait."

The bell then rang to signal the end of lunch. But now that everyone had something to look forward to, the rest of the day didn't seem as boring.

_I know I know shorter than my other chapters. I promise I will try and update again soon though. Please read and review!_


	5. Practice Practice Practice

_Time for another update! It's pretty soon so I'm proud of myself. Everyone enjoy chapter 5!_

"Five, six, seven, eight...", Sharpay counted as the music played. She and Ryan began dancing and singing to "Bop to the Top."

When the song finished, they stopped for a quick break.

"All right", she spoke after she caught her breath. "Let's go over it one more time."

"You're kidding, right?", Ryan asked in disbelief. "We've practiced, like, thirty times already!"

Sharpay shook her head. "I'm not kidding. It has to be perfect! You want to win, don't you?"

"Well, yeah, but..."

"No buts!" she interrupted. "Practice makes perfect."

She walked across the room to the stereo and started the song again. Ryan sighed, and got into his place as she began counting for a second time.

Meanwhile, back at Troy's house, Gabriella and Troy were practicing themselves. The song had just quit playing.

"That was great!" Gabriella beamed.

"Yeah. We might actually have a chance of winning."

"I hope so. Sharpay and Ryan take this whole theater thing seriously, though. They're probably practicing, too."

Troy nodded. "They are if Sharpay has anything to say about it. She might be our friend now, but she still hasn't changed that much."

Gabriella wrapped him into a huge hug. "Well, win or lose I think it's great just being able to do this together."

"I completely agree.", he whispered, pulling her closer.

He tucked a strand of dark hair behind her ear and grinned. She smiled in return and put her arms around his shoulders. Their lips were centimeters apart when Troy's cell phone rang.

"Ugh...", Gabby groaned, tilting her head back. "Why does this always happen to us?"

"No idea." Troy answered, walking across the room to get the phone. "Hello?"

"Hi. What are you doing?", a small voice came over the line.

Gabby raised her eyebrows in a "who-is-it?" sort of gesture. He looked back at her and mouthed "Kelsi."

"Hey, playmaker.", he greeted, turning back to the conversation. "What's up?"

"Zilch here. I'm just bored. How about you?"

"Nothing, really. Gabby and I were practicing for the talent show."

"Oh, great! Because that's actually the reason I called. I wanted to know if you two would like to come over here and practice. A CD is fine for your voices, but you also need to be in time with the piano. Plus, I've been working on the composition a little. So, what do you think? Want to come practice?"

"I'm up for it, I guess. I'll ask Gabriella."

He covered the mouthpiece. "Kelsi's been working the composition and she wants to know if we want to go to her house and practice."

She nodded. "I suppose we could. I mean, we need all the practice we can get."

Troy placed the phone back up to his ear. "She says okay. We'll be there in about twenty-five minutes."

"Alright, see you then!" Kelsi cried happily. They hung up.

"Poor girl. I could tell she was bored. We just made her day by saying we would come."

He started heading downstairs, but turned around when he realized Gabriella wasn't behind him. He saw her standing in the same spot, a slight frown on her face and her arms crossed in front of her chest.

"What's wrong?"

"Aren't you forgetting something?", she asked in return.

He thought for a moment, then remembered what the phone call had interrupted.

"Oh, right. Sorry." He walked toward her and grabbed her by the waist gently. He bent his head down just a little, and their lips met.

"That's better." she murmured when they broke the kiss, her head on his shoulder. He hugged her again.

"Now...", she said after a moment passed, "let's go to Kelsi's."

_Hope you liked it. I'll try and update again as soon as I can!_


	6. Going Overboard

_Guys, I'm really sorry I haven't updated. Mom's still in the hospital, and it's still going to be a long road but she gets to come home soon. I promise I'll be updating more in the future. It's time for chapter 6!_

Kelsi, Troy, and Gabriella were all in Kelsi's kitchen having a snack. The three friends had just finished practicing and decided to take a break.

"How many times do you think we've sung the song by now?" Gabriella inquired, taking a sip of her soda.

"No idea." Troy answered. "I've lost count."

"Yeah, tell me about it. My fingers are beginning to get sore!" Kelsi complained.

"Well, one things for sure. I feel sorry for Ryan if he's being forced to practice any more than we have been." Troy stated.

"Me, too!" Kelsi agreed. "Sharpay's cool, but she can definitely get a little crazy when it comes to the whole theater thing. Either way, you guys have a great chance of winning. You sound amazing!"

"Thanks." Gabriella told her thankfully. "It's nice to hear you say that. I'm kind of nervous about the entire thing."

"Don't be. You'll do fine." Kelsi assured her.

"Well, if we suck at least we know the composition will sound fantastic. You haven't made a single mistake since we started rehearsing **and** you'd never even heard of the song before we gave the sheet music to you. That's pretty impressive, Kels."

"It's no big deal." the pianist told Gabriella matter-of-factly. Even so, she couldn't stop the smile that began to plaster itself across her face.

Suddenly, Troy let out a small yawn.

"Tired?" Gabby asked him.

"A little." he replied.

"So am I. How about we run through the song a couple more times and then head home? It's beginning to get fairly late, anyway."

"Sounds like a plan." Kelsi said.

They trudged back up the stairs and went over the song three more times. They then decided that it was time to say their goodbyes.

When Gabriella got home that evening, she ate supper, finished what homework she had, and took a quick shower. She changed into her pajamas and hopped into bed.

_I hope that what Kelsi said about our singing is true. It'd be really nice to win. Even if we don't, though, at least I'll have had fun doing it,_ she thought as she drifted off to sleep.

The next day at school the first few classes went by pretty quickly. Before everyone knew it, it was lunchtime.

"Hey, I feel like doing something this afternoon." Chad announced. "Any suggestions?"

"Yeah, I feel like hanging out, too." Troy concurred. "How about catching a movie or something?"

"Sounds great to me!" Taylor beamed.

Chad and Gabby also thought it was an excellent idea.

"How about you guys? Are you in?" Chad speculated, looking toward Ryan, Sharpay, and Kelsi.

"Can't." Sharpay answered simply. "We're going over to Kelsi's house this afternoon to practice for the talent show."

"Oh, okay. Then how about tomorrow?" Chad tried again.

Kelsi shook her head and bit her lip a little nervously. "No good. They've got me booked for the rest of the week."

"You've got to be kidding!" Taylor exclaimed.

"She's not." Sharpay informed her.

"Alright, don't you think you guys are taking this a little too seriously?"

"Not if we want to win."

"Don't you have any say in this?" Taylor asked, looking at Ryan.

He just put his hand underneath his chin and looked up at the ceiling.

"You didn't mention this to us yesterday." Gabriella said to Kelsi.

"They called right after you guys left." she clarified meekly.

"Fine, practice if you must. We just thought you'd like to hang out with us." Chad shrugged.

"Don't worry. I'm sure we'll be able to pencil you in sometime. We're just going to be really busy for a while." she responded with a huge grin.

"Yeah, like every second." Ryan muttered under his breath.

"What was that?" Sharpay asked, slight menace in her voice.

"Oh, nothing my sweet, dear sister." Ryan replied, covering himself.

"That's what I thought. Anyway, it's no big deal right? I mean it's not like you guys can't go without us."

"Yeah, but you still shouldn't worry about winning so much."

"Can't help it. It's in the Evan's blood. Look, just don't worry about it. We should be able to practice as much as we want. We don't need your permission!" Sharpay yelled.

Before anymore arguing could continue, the bell rang and signaled the end of what was no doubt a somewhat awkward lunch.

_I know it was kind of short but at least it was an update! I'll post again soon. I'm also sorry if there were any typos. If anyone catches some, please let me know._


	7. Movies and Ice Cream

_-Hides from people who are going to attack me for not updating in so long.- I know I say this every time, but I'M SORRY. There's just so much been going on in my life. Plus, I totally don't know where I'm going with this chapter. If it's not the best, and really short, please bare with me. I still love you guys! Oh, and I would like to dedicate this chapter to a special friend named Mel. Hope you like it! _

"That movie was mint as!" Taylor cried as they left the theater.

(A/N): This is one of Mels sayings. It's code for "really good." Haha.

"Yeah, it was." Gabby agreed.

They had all just gone to see Accepted, and everyone in the group had loved it.

"It was hilarious." Troy said.

"I wish Sharpay and Ryan could've been here with us." Gabby pouted.

"Hey, it's their loss." Chad pointed out. "They're the ones who have to practice all the time."

"True."

"I can't believe they ditched us. I seriously thought they had changed." Taylor chimed in.

"In certian ways, they have." Chad continued. "I just think that when it comes to being a drama queen, Sharpay will never change. We can't be mad at Ryan, though. He does whatever she tells him. Can't say I blame him, either. I wouldnt want to face the consequences of Sharpay." He shuddered at the thought.

"Well, we had fun at least!" Troy exclaimed, trying to cheer the girls up.

His three friends nodded.

"Come to think of it, who says the fun has to end here?" Taylor inquired, her eyes sparkling. "How about we all go out for ice cream? My treat!"

Gabriella clapped her hands excitedly. Chad and Troy both pumped their fists in the air enthusiastically.

"I scream, you scream..." Taylor began.

"We all scream for ice cream!" Troy, Chad, and Gabriella finished.

They ran all the way to the ice cream parlor chanting until they reached the door, all of them laughing hysterically.

"We are such dorks." Gabriella stated after she had finally stopped laughing.

"Like Troy said, at least we're having fun." Chad objected.

They entered the ice cream shop and placed their orders.

"I'll take vanilla, please." Taylor said politely.

"Cookies and cream." Gabriella requested.

Chad was next in line. "Mint chocolate chip."

"And I'd like strawberry."

"Coming right up." the man behind the counter responded.

When the frozen treats arrived, the friends enjoyed their ice cream and talked about the days events at school.

"I'm so happy I didn't get that much homework tonight. Lately the teachers have really been piling it on." Gabriella stated before eating a spoonful of ice cream.

Taylor rolled her eyes. "You can say that again. Believe it or not, it took me three full hours to finish everything last night!"

Troys eyes widened in shock.

"You're kidding, right?"

"Wish I was." she answered.

"You mean to tell me you do all your school work, get straight A's, and still find time to hang with friends and practice? You know, all that good stuff?"

Gabriella giggled. "Pfft, yeah! We're girls. We can multi-task." she stated, as if it were obvious.

"Right on, sister!" Taylor cheered, giving Gabby a high five.

Chad and Troy just shook their heads. Troy checked his watch.

"I guess we should be going. Everyone finished?"

"Yup." his two friends and girlfriend responded in unison.

They exited the ice cream parlor and decided they would all go to Chads house to hang out for a little while.

_Yes, it's short so please forgive me. I'm REALLY stuck on what is going to happen right now. I need a couple of weeks to pass by so if anyone has any suggestions on what they can do between then please let me know. This chapter was pretty much pointeless, but I hope you guys liked it anyway._


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